Three Stages of Learning according to

Vedanta
By Sudipta Shaw
Published on 1-May-2019

In this age of fast changing landscape where the lines between different
businesses, technologies and way of doing stuff are getting increasingly
blurred, we are all feeling the need of learning like never before. Learning
has always been there in formal forms and a bit subdued as expertise in
one subject used to last for a decade and we became complacent when it
came to learning new stuff.

But not anymore.

Learning is the new survival kit without which we will get outdated in less
than 2 years. There are many well-known frameworks of learning used
worldwide some of which are very specific to situations like military,
academic and spiritual settings. However, there are few ancient
techniques that are not only generic but extremely effective. In this post, I
will give one such process which is outlined in Vedanta, in the order
mentioned below:

Sravana -> Manana -> Nididhyasana

1. Sravana: Listening and Understanding the topic of learning. This can be

listening to lectures or by reading a book (i.e. listening to self-talk).
Instrument is any one or combinations of five senses (Body).

2. Manana: Reflecting, contemplating and clearing doubts on the received

information through dialogues. Instrument is Mind.

3. Nididhyasana: Meditating (Internalizing) on the learning leading to

realization. Instrument is NOT the Body and NOT the Mind but
Consciousness. The learner and the learning become one.

It is important to note that the effectiveness of the above stages is not

linear. i.e. Reflection (manana) is hundred times superior to listening
(sravana); meditation (nididhyasana) is hundred times superior to
reflection. Also, the sequence of these three stages is important to follow.
Without Sravana there is no Manana or Nididhyasana and without
Manana there is no Nididhyasana.

Sravana - The first step in the process

of true learning
The first of the three-step learning process is called Sravana. Any learning
requires input of information from outside. Sravana is the first step where
the information from outside world enters into our mind with the help of
the sensory organs in our body.

Sravana has two sub-steps: Listening and Understanding. Please note

that Listening in this post refers to the medium of information input
(combination of any of the senses in our body).

a) How to listen - While there are numerous best practices of listening, I

would like to elucidate "How NOT to listen" which will indirectly show us
how to listen. Think yourself as an empty pot with the information flowing
in as water.

i) We should not listen with pot turned upside down - i.e. nothing goes
inside. This is like sitting in a lecture completely blank or watching a
demonstration thinking of something else. This can be due to general lack
of focus. Solution is focus. Improving focus has two parts - how to focus
and what to focus on. Both are equally important. Similar to magnifying
glass focus sun rays. This is a separate topic altogether (and quite deep)
which I will take up after I complete the 3 stages of learning. The resultant
mind will be relaxed (not too agitated) yet alert (not too dull).

Problem: Distracted mind

Solution: Focusing the mind
Method: Meditation (Practicing focusing of attention on any particular
object and then sustaining the focus for as long as possible. This is the 6th
and 7th step of the Ashtanga Yoga called Dharana or concentration and
Dhyana or deep meditation respectively).

ii) We should not listen with a dirty pot - i.e. the water becomes muddy.
This is like listening with full of judgement, ready to prove the source of
information incorrect, trying to superimpose one's own self thoughts /
opinions with the information coming in. This creates a filter within the
learner which does not allow 100% experience of the in-flowing
information. The information gets polluted with one's own thoughts and
the true essence gets lost. Listening without judgement / self / ego is not
easy. This requires significant practice. A good approach is to meditate,
self-introspect, increased awareness of the self. All of these are easier said
than done. Letting go of "self" is a life long journey but we can get better
as we practice more and more. The first step of letting go of the "self" is to
get to know the real "self". Again, this is even a deeper topic than the first
one and will need series of posts.

The shorter (and probably the easiest) version is to listen as if you are
receiving a gift from your most beloved person in your life (even a sight of
whom brings joy to you). Additionally, having a beginner's mind helps -
Listening like a 1 year old looking at the world.

Problem: Impure mind

Solution: Purification of mind
Method: Compassion, Unselfishness, Humility

iii) We should not listen like a leaky pot - i.e. water that goes in, flows out
from leaks. This is like listening and then forgetting most of it at later point
in time (sometimes just after coming out of lecture or completing reading
a page or even a line from a book). This is no good either. A common
symptom is when you ask someone coming out of a training / lecture /
session that what did he or she understand, the answer is "oh... I don't
remember... everything is written in my notes" or "oh... I don't
remember... everything is there in the handout".

Problem : Forgetfulness
Solution : Mindfulness
Method : Mindful Meditation (Body Scan, concentrating on Breath,
developing meta-attention i.e. the power to catch hold of attention drifting
away from the object of attention)

b) Understanding - If we are able to listen properly, the process of

understanding starts naturally without any additional conscious
intervention. Understanding here refers to comprehending the inputs
received (absorption of the information in the mind "as-is" which is
complete, without any distortion and lasting). After listening we
understand what the source of information actually wants to convey (the
essence). Towards the end of this stage, there will be questions arising
from within our minds. These questions are the key to the next step of
learning which is called Manana.

Takeaway from Sravana : Indication of successful Sravana is the arising of

questions, queries, doubts in the mind of the learner regarding the
information received through the process of Sravana.

P.S.> It is worth noting that the selection of the source of information is

also critical to the entire process of learning.

Trivia : The structure of Problem -> Solution -> Method is taken from the
classic term Sādhana which refers to the discipline (Method) undertaken in
the pursuit of a goal (Solution of a Problem).
Manana - The second step in the
process of learning
The second step of the three-step learning process is called Manana which
follows the first step Sravana. After completion of Sravana, the entire
input information is absorbed in the mind and is ready for processing and
assimilation in the Manana step of learning. This is purely a mental
process and usually takes longer than Sravana.

The goal of this step is to clear all doubts, queries and clarifications that
arise after completion of Sravana. This step is very personalized to
individuals (since we are all unique). Hence this process requires a Guru
who will answer all questions of the learner to his or her satisfaction until
there is no more doubt left in the learner's mind.

The key to successfully complete this step is NOT to jump to any

conclusion (or answer) however obvious it may seem. But to let the
question marinade in the mind, stay with the question for a while, be
comfortable with the unknown rather than succumbing to the urge for a
quick answer to satiate the mind. This helps the question / thought to
seep into the next layer of the mind (kind of transcending the mind) after
which Nididhyāsana can follow.

Learning happens between the question and the answer through

REFLECTION (another tool of Manana). Without reflection, the learning
dies prematurely at the stage of Sravana only if the learner does not stay
with the thoughts / contemplation and returns back to daily chores of life.
The Tools of Manana are
1. Repetitive Contemplation
2. Self-Reflection / Introspection
3. Dialogue with Guru

Methods of Manana are

1. Logical Reasoning
2. Questioning the validity of the input information and inferences being
drawn (Pramana)
3. Getting the doubts cleared from Guru

Result / Takeaway / Outcome of Manana

1. Unfolding of the understanding of the input information
2. Clarity of the input information
3. Input information converted to 100% doubt free knowledge

It is important to note that the entire process of Manana must be followed

without any emotions. Also, group discussions are to be avoided at this
stage since the mind is still in learning phase and group discussion may
distract / divert the mind from looking inwards.
The Manana stage is 100 times more effective than Sravana in advancing
the stages of learning to the next step of Nididhyāsana.

Nididhyasana - The third and final

step in the process of learning
The third and final step of the three-step learning process is called
Nididhyasana which focuses on practically "living the knowledge" acquired
from learning. This step is the deepest where the learning is no longer
theoretical but the learner "experiences" the learning in real life. Isn't this
the sole purpose of learning? What is the meaning and value of learning if
it remains within the boundaries of books, videos, lectures, workshops
and articles? Bringing the learning into the real world is what
Nididhyasana does through the learner.

Disclaimer: I am not an expert on this stage of learning. In fact, it is very

difficult to "write" something that is fundamentally experiential. However, I
will try my best here. I would strongly suggest to work with a Guru
towards the end of Manana stage and into the Nididhyasana phase.

After completion of "clearing all doubts / queries" in the mind of the

learner in the Manana stage, now the learner has "understood" the
concepts BUT does not "feel" that way. Here feeling meaning
experiencing. This is because every learning has a practical implication to
it. E.g. Physics deals with how matter and energy interact in this universe.
Chemistry goes deeper into the composition of matter and their
behaviours. Biology on the other hand concentrates on life and living
organisms. And so on so forth. All these and other fields of science,
history, philosophy, engineering, psychology etc. has one thing in
common. They all try to explain why something is the way it is (or the way
it was, or the way it will be). No one would like to learn anything that does
not have any practical value or application.
Now Nididhyasana merges the learning with the practical aspect of
learning. That is "doing", "experiencing", "unfolding" - all are action verbs
here. So Nididhyasana is the action part of learning. The key here is to
bring out the "action" from within, i.e. autonomously. If the Guru explains
"this is how the electric circuit works in a Wi-Fi enabled air conditioner", all
the papers, diagrams, lectures are NOT the same as
1. assimilating all the learning
2. creating an app with IoT enabled A/C and then
3. touching the ON icon on the smartphone which turns on the A/C.

If the Sravana and Manana stages were successfully completed, then in a

flash of this instant, the learner's mind completely GETS (and
"experiences") how that touch actually turned the A/C on. After this the
learner becomes as familiar to this entire process as his or her home
weather and never forgets this (becomes cellular memory). This is very
different that just following instructions without understanding how it
works behind the scenes or what it means.

Another simple and non-technical comparison of this process is that of

getting nourishment from food. When we eat food, the ingredients of food
literally turn into what we see our body from outside (as well as what the
body is composed of from inside). Food can be compared to the object of
learning, the process of learning how to cook is Sravana. Then the process
of cooking and chewing is Manana. Finally, the process of digestion is the
Nididhyasana.

After Nididhyasana there is no further need of Sravana or Manana.

The process / steps of Nididhyasana involves achieving a "flow" (or

complete immersion) where the level of mind (intellect / experience /
familiarity) is slightly below the challenge and is constantly thriving to
meet the challenge. In this state, the experience of time and space
completely ceases, the entire concentration of mind is focused on meeting
the challenge (which is experiencing the object of learning - the real
purpose). From our practical reality, everyone has experienced this flow in
some activity during some phase of his or her life. This is when our
awareness of time is not felt (suddenly we realize hours have passed while
we feel it was just a moment ago). During this flow, there is no sensation
of the body either (hunger is not felt, tiredness is not felt). However, when
we come out of flow, we feel tired, hungry and realize how much time has
actually passed.

Now there are ways to practice this state of mind (stillness / focus) when
we are actually not in flow (similar to the net practices done by cricketers).
This tunes our mind to quickly attain the flow state when required and not
getting distracted. One of them is meditation. However, this is a vast topic
which I will take up in my next post which will be on the Focus in general.

To sum up this stage, the learner internalizes the learning through taking
actions (either mentally or physically) leading to experiencing the
understanding that happened in the Manana stage. The duration it can
take for this stage to complete can be years or lifetime. It's worthwhile to
note that once this realization / experience happens, then the learner and
learning becomes one. The learner "bleeds" the learning from the level
beyond mind and body. Then we call the learner as the Master of the
object of the learning. Typically, this takes about 10,000 hours or 10 years
of effort to reach that level in any given subject.

Thus Nididhyasana needs a lot of determination and dedication as this is

the most difficult step.

This entire journey of Sravana, Manana and Nididhyasana needs to have a

good foundation of "purpose". Purpose is the radar of the ship on which
we are moving towards a goal. Without that purpose, the entire effort,
time and other resources might go wasted. If the next question that
comes to your mind is - "What is the purpose of my life?", then you have
already taken the first step.
Trivia:
The process of Sravana, Manana and Nididhyasana is mentioned in
the Brihadaraynaka Upanishad. In this verse, Yajnavalkya tells Maitreyi:
“The Self should be seen, heard, reflected on and contemplated upon. By
seeing, listening, reflecting, and contemplating, all is known”.

The End